Tobacco rack holder



Feb. 24, 1970 C. B. GENTRY, JR

TOBACCO RACK HOLDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 21, 1968 CHARLES ageeu'rwxm ATTORNEY rrrrlnrzrrz M. 2. Ya

Feb. 24, 1970 c. B. GENTRY, JR

TOBACCO RACK HOLDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 21, 1968 INVENTOR CHARLES. E5. GENTRY,J R.

fi/ Slew ATTO NEY United States Patent 3,497,253 TOBACCO RACK HOLDER Charles B. Gentry, Jr., Rte. 7, Cleveland Pike, Lexington, Ky. 40502 Filed May 21, 1968, Ser. No. 730,709 Int. Cl. A24b 1/06 US. Cl. 294-55 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An inexpensive rack for use in the curing of tobacco on sticks includes a rectangular frame with strong side members having latches pivotally mounted at each end of the side members and with the overall distance between the ends of the latches on a side member being greater than the distance between the support rails for the rack in the barn.

A method is disclosed for loading the tobacco on the rack in the field, raising the loaded rack to a curing position in the barn, and later lowering the rack with its cured tobacco from the curing position; the rack having its essential load-bearing parts designed to withstand the stresses imposed thereon during conduct of each of the steps of the method but without unnecessary strength being provided in non-load-bearing parts thereof.

Background of the invention The traditional method of housing tobacco on sticks constitutes a large fraction of the cost of producing the crop, especially with the rising costs of labor and frequently with the nonavailability of experienced labor at housing time. Moreover, it involves arduous and often dangerous work in that the manual storing of heavy tobacco in a barn requires the worker to climb to substantial heights while arranging the sticks of tobacco in their curing locations.

The general concept of avoiding certain of these disadvantages by loading sticks of tobacco on a pallet frame structure and thereafter bodily storing the loaded structure in a barn by means of mechanical devices, such as a fork-lift or ropes and pulleys, has been suggested by others. However, to the best of my knowledge, all such prior suggestions have been attended by inherent disadvantages such as requiring expensive remodeling of existing barns or building of new barns; or the need to provide expensive articles which have a one-purpose use; or to provide the services of more than two workers during the storing of a loaded pallet or the later removal of a pallet with its cured tobacco from the barn. It is a purpose of my invention to overcome these and other disadvantages of the present methods for housing tobacco on sticks.

Summary of the invention The rack structure used in the method of the invention includes parallel load-bearing side members spaced apart at their ends by parallel members which bear but little loading. Two-part latches are aflixed to the ends of each of the side members and have pivoted second portions mounted upon the first portions of the latch andnormally extending in prolongation of the side members due to the bias provided by a suitable means such as a torsion 3,497,253 Patented Feb. 24, 1970 spring. The overall length of the rack with its latches in extended position is greater than the distance between the barn rails on which the rack is to be supported.

The method of the invention comprehends the use of a conventional wagon and a conventional fork-lift vehicle and the use of a conventional barn in which the racks are stored during curing of the tobacco.

The objectives of the invention emphasize the economy of housing tobacco with a reduced amount of labor and with simple rack construction and with avoidance of the necessity for dangerous climbing of a worker within a barn. An object, moreover, is to provide a method which will require a minimum of special purpose equipment which otherwise would be idle during much of the year. As will be noted from the following disclosure, the forklift equipped tractor and the transporting wagons are available for general purpose work following the tobacco housing season.

The above-mentioned and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds and when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the use of the improved rack throughout the several steps of the method of handling the tobacco.

FIG. 1A is a diagrammatic plan view of the preferred arrangement of racks on a single transporting means.

FIG. 1B is a diagrammatic plan view of the arrangement of elements of a portion of the barn structure employed in carrying out the method.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an empty rack.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the latch at one end of one of the side members of the rack.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the latch as taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an elevation view showing the fork-lift and a loaded rack during the raising of the rack with uncured tobacco.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 and showing a phase of operation in removing the rack of cured tobacco from the barn.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of an adaptor for the tines of the fork-lift, and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8--8 of FIG. 7.

A preferred embodiment of the invention includes a simple and inexpensive rack as seen in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, and employing a pair of strong, parallel, side members 10, 11 joined at their ends by parallel spacers 12, 13 to leave an unobstructed central space. As an example and depending upon the spacing of the barn posts, the side members may be wooden two-by-fours about ten feet four inches long thus to provide for the storing of about 23 sticks of tobacco per rack and which normally will weigh in excess of 800 pounds. Since the loaded rack is supported from the underside of the side members at all times, little stress is imposed upon the end spacers and these may be of lightweight plywood.

As a significant feature, latch members 15 to 18 are attached to the respective ends of the side members 10, 11 and as seen in FIG. 3, each such latch member comprises a first channel shaped portion, preferably of metal, having its flat web section 19 rigidly fastened to the underside of the rack side member as by means of bolts, nails, or other means, 20, 21 and with its flanges 22, 23 projecting downwardly. A second channel shaped portion having upwardly directed flanges 24, 25 separated by a lower web section 26 is pivotally mounted adjacent its rear end upon the first portion as by means of a transverse pin 27. Suitable resilient means such as torsion spring 28 surrounding the pin 27 and with its ends bearing upon the respective channel shaped elements serves to hold the web 26 of the second portion normally in contact with the lower edges of the flanges 22, 23. The length of the second portion of the described latch is such as to dispose its distal end a suitable distance beyond the end 12 of the rack, for example, a distance of about four and one-half inches.

Referring now to FIG. 1 the method of the invention employing a rack as described will normally involve the use of a transporting vehicle such as a general purpose, relatively long flat bed wagon 30 on which front, rear and central superstructures 31, 32 and 33 respectively are demountably secured. This wagon is towed by any suitable means to the field where cut tobacco on sticks is located, and a series of four empty racks as indicated in FIG. 1A are disposed upon the tops of the respective superstructures. The racks are filled with sticks of tobacco and the loaded vehicle is then towed to a position adjacent the open side of a barn for unloading by means of a conventional fork-lift indicated at 34.

As seen in FIG. 1B, the typical barn comprises a series of unobstructed bents 35, 3'6, 37 defined by rows of barn posts whose spacing between corresponding posts in adjacent rows is less than the overall length of the racks. Normally the barn includes a fixed side wall 38; a roof 39; end walls, one of which is indicated at 40; and a second side wall including movable doors 41 of a size permitting ingress of the fork lift carrying a loaded rack. Joining adjacent posts in each tier of each row of posts is a series of support rails, of which rails 42 to 46 are indicated as being typical.

The fork lift means 34 comprises a conventional attachment for a tractor 50 having the usual hydraulic system for raising and lowering the mast 51, and a transverse fluid motor 52 (FIG. 6) for shifting the fork lift parallel to the axle axis of the tractor. The attachment also includes relatively narrow spaced tines 53, 54 having a length greater than the space between the side members of the rack. Following the positioning of the loaded vehicle adjacent the barn, therefore, the operator of the fork lift inserts tines 53, 54 under the side members of the rack and between appropriate sticks of tobacco at a location whereby the center of gravity of the loaded rack will be generally at the center of the space between the tines and then elevates the mast so as to lift the rack from the superstructure of the vehicle. The fork lift tractor is then maneuvered so as to enter a bent of the barn. As will be understood, at this time the latches of the rack would normally hit the edges of the barn posts and various means may be employed to avoid this problem. The second portions of the latches may be cammed downwardly by suitable inclined members attached to the sides of the posts as the rack approaches such posts, one such member being indicated at 55 (FIG. 1); or weights may be temporarily attached to the second portions of the latches to overcome the bias of the springs; or at the cost of more expensive apparatus the latches may have their second portions arranged to swing about the first portions thereof in order to clear the posts.

In any event, when the operator has moved the rack into position, for example in the bent defined by posts 56 to 59 and rails 42, 43 of FIG. 1B, the second portions of the latches will be fully extended, and the rack is lifted as indicated in FIG. 5. As the flanges 24, 25 of the four latches contact the lower edges of rails 42, 43 they are pivoted downwardly until after the rack is lifted above those rails, after which they resume their extended positions but in a plane above those rails. Thereafter the mast is lowered and the rack comes to rest upon the rails.

The fork lift is then returned to the vehicle and subsequent racks are moved into position in the described manner until the barn is suitably filled with tobacco. As will now be apparent, no manual handling of the tobacco has occurred following the loading of the racks in the field, and generally the fork-lift operator is the only person required for work within the barn.

After a lapse of time and when the tobacco is cured, the fork-lift operator then returns to the barn and removes the racks in the following steps of operation.

First, he may place upon one of the tines of the fork lift an adaptor as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8 and comprising an elongated lifting portion 60 having bifurcated legs 61, 62 extending downwardly therefrom and adapted to embrace the tine of the fork-lift without danger of twisting thereabout. At the extreme ends of the lifting portion upwardly directed abutments 63, 64 are provided and with the space therebetween being larger than the overall width of the above-described rack. The height of the upper edge of the lifting portion 60 above the tine may vary, but in handling of the average rack may be about ten inches.

With his fork-lift thus equipped, the operator maneuvers the same beneath the rack to be lowered and raises the fork lift until lifting portion 60 touches the undersides of the side members of the rack. Then, as best seen in FIG. 6, further lifting occurs until the tine 53 also engages those side members after which the rack is further lifted in tilted position until the latches 15, 17 at the left-hand end are above rail 42. As will be understood, the tine 53 and the lifting portion 60 are located between sticks of tobacco and with the center of gravity of the rack being between that tine and lifting portion. Any tendency of the tobacco sticks to slip to the left is resisted by engagement of the tobacco on the leftmost stick against the end member 12 of the rack.

With the rack in position as seen in FIG. 6, the operator then actuates the motor 52 to shift the rack to the right until the second portions of latches 15, 17 clear the rail 42, after which the rack is slowly lowered to bring those latches below that rail. Thereupon the motor 52 is shifted in the opposite direction to bring latches 16, 18 clear of rail 43, after which the rack is lowered to a position where the tobacco may be manually unloaded.

Having thus described the invention, various practical advantages of the same will be apparent. The rack is simple and inexpensive and may be loaded on the vehicle by one person; the rack when its overall size is considered is generally fiat and may be compactly stored from season to season; the entire central space within the rack is unobstructed so that the tobacco and sticks may readily be mounted upon and taken from the rack without damaging the tobacco or without awkward handling; the forklift apparatus can be readily moved from barn to barn so that custom work may be shared by neighboring farmers; and in addition to reducing the number of workers required for housing a crop, the dangers customarily associated with climbing in barns is obviated.

Although the present invention has been illustrated in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in the curing of tobacco on sticks in barns, a generally flat rectangular rack frame having an open central region and comprising a pair of parallel side members separated at the ends by a pair of parallel end members, said side members being adapted to support the ends of sticks from which stalks of tobacco hang downwardly in said central region, a latch member attached at each end of each of said side members in prolongation thereof, the distance between the ends of the latch members on each side member being greater than the distance between the rails of the barn structure on which said rack is supported during curing of the tobacco, each of said latch members comprising a first portion afiixed to the underside of said side member and a second portion pivotally secured to said first portion and partially disposed beneath the underside end of said side member and extending therebeyond, and means normally holding said second portion in its extended position, said second portion being adapted to pivot downwardly when lifted into contact with the bottom sides of rails of the barn and then to return to extended position when lifted above the top sides of the rails whereby upon subsequent settling of the rack into stored position, said latches will rest upon the tops of the rails and support the rack and its contents.

2. A rack as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for holding the second portion of said latch in extended position comprises a torsion spring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,251,620 5/1966 Hassler 294-55 3,344,938 10/1967 Brooks 294-55 X GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner 10 RAYMOND B. JOHNSON, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 214-55, 16.4 

